Actor, Leading RoleLeonardo DiCaprio, The DepartedTony Curran, Red RoadDanny Dyer, SeveranceJames McAvoy, Starter for 10Cillian Murphy, The Wind that Shakes the BarleyForest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Thursday, December 21, 2006

I just felt like it. And I may have said a song’s a single when it wasn’t actually released as one, in which case I’m sorry. But you know.
01. The Heart of the Matter (India.Arie)
It was an extremely difficult choice for first place, but in the end, I went with Arie’s cover of Don Henley’s The Heart of the Matter. Adding layers of depth not even present in the first, this heartbreaking, beautiful song reflects wonderfully on the disintegration of a relationship. Arie’s soulful vocals suit the song beautifully, and the lyrics are some of the best ever written, “I think it’s about forgiveness, even if you don’t love me anymore.” Whether you listen to it in heartbreak or happiness, you’ll still fall in love with this, one of the few songs to reflect on the innermost emotions of humanity regarding love. The instruments are stunning too. A masterful song.

01. Shake Your Money Maker (Ludacris ft. Pharrell)
With a video that shamelessly rips off that of Kanye West’s Goldigger, the only good thing about this “song” is… nope. Can’t think of a single redeeming quality about it. It pretty much says it all in that the man who sings this song is that one in Crash that had that (unintentionally) hilarious monologue of what it means to be a black man. This song is almost as bad as the Oscar-winning film he was in.

Monday, December 18, 2006

So, ITV showed Driving Lessons last night, much to my delight, as I'm a big dan of the film. Anyway, I found it a charming coming-of-age tale, with al eccentric & amusing turn from Julie Walters and Rupert Grint captivating me with his bumbling ways. There weren’t any scenes which made me laugh out loud, however, though there was ONE scene that caused me to raise an eyebrow – Rupert got a kissing scene! That’s right, I’m as jealous as you are, little Ronny Weasley is growing up! Actually the scene was handled pretty tastefully, just a quick shift of camera angle and no complete close-up, to give that scene some artistic romanticness. But ya know, it kind of got me thinking. About the OTHER Harry Potter actor. You know, the one that plays Harry. That git Daniel Radcliffe.

As you may or may not know from reading the books, Harry lusts after Cho Chang from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, wherein he manages to steal a kiss from her at Christmas time. Well, I hear that from filming of HP V, Dan has had to shoot the kissing scene with Cho about 25 times. Sickening. I hate that boy. I hate him so much.

Anyway, the moral of this story is that Rupert Grint has a wonderful, ginger charm, and that Daniel Radcliffe is so repulsive that the only way he can get a snog is by re-shooting a kissing scene over and over again. Just thought you’d like to know.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

My taste in music really is quite varied and diverse. Some of my inclusions on here shouldn’t surprise you, others I know will be certain to raise an eyebrow. Still… I chose them, and I will try to justify my inclusions. If you don’t like it, fine, but I’m so convinced that these 30 CDs are worth your time that I’ll happily send you songs if you request them.

01. Begin to Hope (Regina Spektor)A woman I discovered around a pivotal point in my life, and even though it’s been a mere 3 months since I found her, I feel like I’ve known her all my life. That probably sounded a little psychopathic and lesbian. OK, let me try again: Regina Spektor is a Goddess. There’s simply no other way to put it, she sings & plays the piano like Shakespeare wrote, like Lean made movies, like I think. I connect with her songs totally. And really, I feel guilty sharing her with you guys, because she’s so wonderful that I just want to steal her songs for me to hear and no-one else, but alas, I guess Christmas is the season to share, and I shall spread the love. Her songs exude a heavenly beauty that has rarely been matched before in music. Her re-recording of the best song of all time Samson, in my opinion, betters it, so that should give you an indication of the eargasm you can expect on this wonderful, wonderful, piece of mastery.Best songs: Samson, Fidelity, 20 Years of Snow

02. All the Roadrunning (Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris)I was re-discovering the folksy, country music style this year, and when I came across this album, featuring two of my favourite singers (he, I love from Dire Straits, she I loved from that heartbreaking song in Brokeback Mountain), I just knew that this was meant to be. And I was right, because, amazingly, there isn’t a single weak song on this album. Furthermore, there’s a song to suit every hour of the day. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris have established an amazingly, inimitable chemistry, and their voices gel perfectly. There’s a gem in every song, and the instruments are instrumental to their music making. I really, really, love this album.Best tracks: Belle star, Love and Happiness, Beachcombing

03. Savane (Ali Farka Toure)This album was released after the death of Ali Farka Toure, and it serves as a wonderful epitaph to his Ali Farka Toure's recording career. All of his releases have been a joy to listen to and this final album epitomizes this. Last year, when he discovered that he was diagnosed with cancer, and, with that sense of time running out, gives us his best album, expertly nurtured by his long-term producer Nick Gold. Has to be heard to be believed.Best tracks: Soko, Njarou, Beto

04. Taking the Long Way (The Dixie Chicks)I keep reminding myself to find out more about these Dixie Chicks, and I keep forgetting too. Prod me next time. Anyway, they were also present in my love for country music. These girls are just great, their songs are catchy without being too artificial, their lyrics are deep but not too confusing, and the violin in the background is great too. I don’t care too much for Lubbock or Leave It because of it’s annoying quickness, but the slower, more chilled out tracks are sublime, in particular Lullaby, one of the sweetest songs I’ve ever heard in my entire life. The combination of the soothing guitars and the mellow lead make it a beautiful, mellifluous melody that I really can go to sleep to (in a good way.)Best tracks: Lullaby, Silent House, So Hard

05. Testimony Vol. 1 (India.Arie)The opening lyrics in her intro are some of the deepest, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This paves the way for a lot more of her soul, elegance and wisdom that follows, all sung to a sparkly music mix of R&B, jazz, blues and pop. There’s something to admire in practically every song, but The Heart of the Matter is the standout track and the one that holds a special place in my heart. A cover of Don Henley’s song of the same title, she sings wonderfully about love, forgiveness, and redemption. Absolutely wonderful.Best tracks: the Heart of the Matter, I Am Not My Hair, Private Party

06. Ys (Joanna Newsom)Only five tracks long, with instruments including violins, oboe, and French horn, this is non-commercial music at its best. Highbrow, obscure, weird, and cool, Newsome sings about all things from birds and death, and her unique voice is beautifully set with a wonderful sparseness which allow it to rise high, but never sound scratchy. If that sounded confusing, you must just buy this CD to understand what I mean. But really, this woman is amazing.Best tracks: Emily, Monkey & Bear, Cosmia

07. St. Elsewhere (Gnarls Barkley)Trust me, there’s more to this album than the breakout hit, Crazy. The rest feature many musical styles that have been all over radios before, but here, there’s just something special about it all. Very listenable indeed.Best tracks: Feng Shui, The Boogie Monster, Crazy

08. Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera)Someone I’ve never been a huge fan of, Christina surprised me a lot with her modern take on vintage jazz and blues. By going back to basics, she managed to experiment with some styles that really complimented her strong voice. But the lyrics are rather good too, as she sings about things from heartbreak to domestic violence (Oh Mother). Oh Mother is actually the best song of the album, and from the minute I heard the sampling of the French song Vois Sur Ton Chemin, a tune that I simply adore, I knew that I’d end up either loving or hating this album. It was a gamble, but it paid off.Best tracks: Oh Mother, Hurt, Back to Basics

09. Future Sex/Love Sounds (Justin Timberlake)*looks sheepish*Yes, I admit, I like, the many million other girls on the planet, was won over by Justin this year as well. Well… how can you blame us? Sexyback is a VERY cool song, and became “the” song to be playing in gyms this year, for its thudding beats, JT’s confident vocals, and just all them sexyback riffs. They were cool! Anyway, the rest of the album is basically a testimony to the fine female form and how great sex is. It wouldn’t work for most people, but JT got lucky.Best tracks: sexyback, Summer Love, What Goes Around Comes Around

10. Miami Vice OST (various)I didn’t care for the movie at all, but the soundtrack was utterly eargasmic, and, truth be told, deserves a higher rank on my list of albums, but the bad memory of Miami Vice the movie just won’t leave. Anyway, I’d only ever heard Nina Simone’s Sinnerman in its entirety before, so hearing the Felix da Housecat Remix certainly threw me off my guard, but I love it. The presence of Goldfrapp’s very sexy Strict Machine is a welcome one, as is the Spanishy track that follows, Pennies in my Pocket, from Emilio Estefan, which makes me want to get up and dance. Generally, the album features all the nightclub anthems in the movie, as well as the ones that reflect the character’s emotional states. And it’s a really good collection.Best tracks: Strict Machine, Pennies in my Pocket, Ready for Love

16. The Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani)Gwen’s follow-up to Love.Angel.Music.Baby is a disappointment in that it never manages to capture the genius of her first solo album, but there’s still a good deal of quality from an insanely talented woman on here. She switches the Harajuku girls and Vivien Westwood referencing for yodelling and sampling A Sound of Music, but, this being Gwen, it pays off. There aren’t any songs which stand out quite as much as those in L.A.M.B, but the sass, style, and soul present in each and every track make Gwen a good deal better than a lot of the female vocalists this year.Best tracks: Orange County Girl, Wind it Up

17. Rudebox (Robbie Williams)The Sun rudely slated Rudebox as “the crappest song ever”, but that really should be the song you should pay the least attention to on here. The Actor just took my breath away, and it’s such a shame that it’s not coming out here in the U.K., because THAT is quality music. That aside, I was also touched by Louise, which combines slushiness and story-telling to good effect. Basically, the songs on here are very different from Robbie’s style, and I think audiences found that hard to take, especially when on about 4 of the tracks here, he does fall short rather miserably. The rest, though, is wacky experimentalism.Best tracks: The Actor, Louise

18. Whatever you Say I am, that’s What I’m Not (Arctic Monkeys)The Arctic Monkeys did Music Technology for A-level, you know.Best tracks: I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor, Mardi Bum

19. The Sound of Girls Aloud (Girls Aloud)I loathe manufactured pop bands from X-Factor/Popstars with a passion, but Girls Aloud surprised me with their a) consistency and b) quality, so they are truly exceptions to this category. Their compilation album featuring their greatest hits features some great tracks, from their debut with the Tomoyasu Hotei-esque bass guitar, Sounds of the Underground, to the toe-tappingly snazzy Biology and No Good Advice, to their recent Something Kinda Ooh, which I still have no idea what it is about, but I enjoy the sound of. The weak points do test your patience, especially when they try to cover a good song (see: I Think We’re Alone Now, I’ll Stand By You), but Girls Aloud, are, refreshingly, a band best at being themselves, and I respect that.Best tracks: Sounds of the Underground, Cold Inside, Something Kinda Ooh

24. The Da Vinci Code score (Hans Zimmer)The film may not have quite been the masterpiece that us Dan Brown fans were expecting, but I really have no qualms about the score, which feature some excellent vocal choir work, clashing cymbals, orchestral crescendos and the climaxes that we expect from any Hollywood blockbuster. Hans Zimmer may have done very wrong with his terrible work on Pirates of the Caribbean II, but forgive him, because he was being overworked to the limit with his score for this movie. And I think it paid off.

25. Wintersong (Sarah McLachlan)My favourite “concept” album of the year. McLachlan takes some very well-known Christmas songs, and adds her own personal twists to them, making them very beautiful and listenable.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

I'll post 'em, with me personal comments. Predictions for the win in red.

Best Picture, DramaBabelBobbyThe DepartedLittle ChildrenThe Queen

Well, The Departed is an A- grade movie, Little Children a B-grade one and The Queen a B+ one. Not bad. I'm eagerly, eagerly awaiting Babel, but the trailer to Bobby really annoyed me by playing Thomas Newman in it, plus it has Lindsay Hohan.

Best Actor in a Leading Role, DramaLeonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond Haven't seen, but come on, you know how much I love this man.Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed HAVE seen this. Best performance by an actor, 2006.Peter O'Toole, Venus N/SWill Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness I saw the trailer to this. Um.Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland Well, James McAvoy's in this movie, so I'll certainly be checking it out.

Best Actor in a Leading Role, Musical or ComedySacha Baron Cohen, Borat He was funny... I guess.Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest Er... no.Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking This film really irritates me now. It's just not that good.Will Ferrell, Stranger than Fiction Good.Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kinky Boots V. g.

Best Picture, Comedy or MusicalBorat Yes, guys, it was funny. It was also racist, sexist and disturbing. "Meh."The Devil Wears Prada yep. deserving.Dreamgirls Er. Haven't seen.Little Miss Sunshine No thanks.Thank You For Smoking No thanks. Stranger than Fiction is a million times better. As is The Holiday. And Happy Feet. And Cars. And Severance. Get the picture?

Best Actress in a Leading Role, DramaPenelope Cruz, Volver Yes! I adore me some Pen.Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal N/SMaggie Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby Haven't seen, but Maggie's cool.Helen Mirren, The Queen Yes, yes. 3rd best lead actress 2006.And a Brit. What's not to love?Kate WInslet, Little Children Good, good.

Best Actress in a Leading Role, Comedy or MusicalAnnette Bening, Running with Scissors N/SToni Collette, Little Miss Sunshine Nah to the film, but Collette was excellentBeyonce Knowles, Dreamgirls I love some of her songs, hate her acting skills.Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada Very good performance.Renee Zellweger, Miss Potter The poster to this film scares me a little.

Best ScreenplayBabel N/SLittle Children I'd disagree with that.Notes on a Scandal N/SThe Departed Yep.The Queen Yep.

ScoreThe Painted VeilThe FountainBabelNomadThe Da Vinci Code

I'm yet to see Babel but I adored Santaolalla's work in Brokeback Mountain. I'm actually delighted about Hans Zimmer's nomination, it really paves his way for the chance for an Oscar nomination. His score for The Da Vinci Code, was the best thing about the movie, and far, far, better than his horrific score to Pirates of the Caribbean II. Also delighted that the wonderful Alexandre Desplat managed to get in there, but not for his score to The Queen, which I liked, but thought was a little overdone.

A little disappointmented about Iglesias missing out for Volver, my choice for best score of the year. Also, no nod for Giacchino's work on Mission Impossible III, although I knew that was never gonna happen. (sorry I wrote a lot on this category. I'm a musician so I kinda care loads about score.)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISIONGILLIAN ANDERSON BLEAK HOUSEANNETTE BENING MRS. HARRISHELEN MIRREN ELIZABETH IHELEN MIRREN PRIME SUSPECT: THE FINAL ACTSOPHIE OKONEDO TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATH

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISIONEMILY BLUNT GIDEON’S DAUGHTERTONI COLLETTE TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATHKATHERINE HEIGL GREY’S ANATOMYSARAH PAULSON STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIPELIZABETH PERKINS WEEDS

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or ComedyNominees:Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)Zach Braff for "Scrubs" (2001)Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005)Jason Lee for "My Name Is Earl" (2005)Tony Shalhoub for "Monk" (2002)

Best Actress in a Drama SeriesPatricia Arquette for "Medium" (2005)Edie Falco for "The Sopranos" (1999)Evangeline Lilly for "Lost" (2004)Ellen Pompeo for "Grey's Anatomy" (2005)Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)

Best Actress in a Comedy SeriesMarcia Cross for "Desperate Housewives" (2004)America Ferrera for "Ugly Betty" (2006)Felicity Huffman for "Desperate Housewives" (2004)Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (2006)Mary-Louise Parker for "Weeds" (2005)

This time last year, the Golden Globe nominations were announced. I remember seeing them on the IMDb forums, printing them off, and reading them all through R.S., where I had just gotten my mock back. What I noticed was that a certain little film called Brokeback Mountain had totally swept the nominations, and I set about wanting to see this film, especially when I saw that Jake Gyllenhaal was it.

The rest, they say is history. I saw the movie. I adored it. And I started this movie blog. So, to commemorate the beginning of a very beautiful friendship, here is a still from my choice for the 6th greatest film of all time, Ang Lee's majestic masterwork, Brokeback Mountain.

So, briefly before I go to my next lesson, Golden Globe hopes:

- Lots of love for Pan's Labyrinth.- Supporting Actress nomination for Emily Blunt.- Penélope gets a Best Actress nod & Volver sees love.- Offside in the Best Foreign Movie category.- A Best Song category devoid of "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale- No nominations whatsoever for United 93 and Little Miss Sunshine.

What are yours?

Gimme that, and I'll be content. I'll leave you with the Advent Calendar for today and yesterday:

The Departed - good choice. Also a predictable choice.The Devil Wears Prada - quite surprising, but I'm pleased, because it's also in my top 10 of the year. Highly entertaining, and with a head-turning performance from the wonderful Emily Blunt.The History Boys - yes, yes, YES!!! Anyone who reads this blog should know how much I adore this movie; it's my number 2 of 2006.Little Miss Sunshine - clichéd characters; didn't do it for me.

Er... OK. I've seen a lot. I'm disappointed that the majestic Pan's didn't make it, but God, how I thank my lucky stars that that overrated turd United 93 isn't on here. Let's just hope this is one of the many futurecoming "snubs", and that it shan't get anywhere near Oscar glory.

Amongst the guests at a wedding are a Helene, a lonely teacher, played by Stephane Audran, and an ex-army butcher (Jean Yanne). Against their differences, the two develop a friendship. However, in the town there lurks a serial killer, and that killer may or may not be the butcher himself. Plagued with feelings of doubt and fear, Helene finds herself constantly at tenterhooks regarding her new friend (of sorts), and surprises and shocks are placed intricately until the very last frames.

At 90 minutes, this mystery feels longer than it is, and that may be due to some of the stylistic techniques adapted by director Chabrol, such as the languid and very sparse use of camera movement, and shots of the bells to contribute to a sense of time. Content-wise, he borrows from Hitchcock, using themes of shared secrets, obsession and moral ambiguity. These themes are used well, creating appropriate amounts of suspense and anticipation in the viewer, and Chabrol plays with his audience deftly, placing surprises and non-surprises in sequence so that we are every bit as nervy as Audran. He is less concerned with explaining the motives for the killings than just presenting them, and for that, and chilling atmosphere of indifference is created throughout the film.

The two leads are strong in their performances, and the slow, fragile romance between them is as credible as it is integral to the plot. In particular, Stephane Audran shines, as a woman who begins, poised, content and assured, only to finish ruffled and perhaps, as the ending shot shows, a little ruined by the events that she has witnessed. The film is carried along by an eerie, quasi-apocalyptic score by Pierre Janse and Domonique Zardi, which haunts long after the film has ended.

If the ending does feel like somewhat of a copout, that may because we as the audience have viewed one plot twist too many, and the frequency and slightness at which each twist is revealed diminishes its impact somewhat. But for the most part, this is good filmmaking; quite unpretentious, coolly aloof, and the subtle delivery only works to its advantage.